Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist - Contract

Our client is an established Christian faith-based long-term care organization located in the Markham area. They are seeking an experienced Senior Payroll & Benefits Specialist for a 3-month contract, with strong potential for permanent employment. The position will initially require 5 days onsite, transitioning to a hybrid schedule of 2 days in office following a 2–3 week training period.

Our client is seeking a hands-on Senior Payroll Benefits Specialist to oversee payroll and benefits administration for approximately 220 employees. This is an excellent opportunity for a payroll professional who thrives in a hands-on role, works confidently with unionized employee groups, and enjoys improving processes. As part of a small finance team, you’ll have significant autonomy, direct responsibility for payroll accuracy, and the opportunity to strengthen existing procedures while addressing historical records and reconciliation issues.

Key Responsibilities:

Payroll Administration

• Manage the full-cycle biweekly payroll process for approximately 220 employees, primarily hourly and unionized, along with a smaller group of salaried, non-union staff.
• Review and validate employee timecards before each payroll run, identifying missing punches, discrepancies, and potential errors.
• Manage payroll data imports from the employee scheduling system into ADP or the applicable payroll platform, ensuring accuracy and reconciling imported information.
• Apply collective agreement provisions and payroll rules accurately, including applicable rates, premiums, and other earnings or deductions.
• Ensure payroll is processed accurately and on schedule while maintaining compliance with applicable legislation and internal procedures.

Benefits & Regulatory Compliance

• Administer group benefits, including employee enrolments, changes, terminations, and ongoing coordination with benefits carriers.
• Complete benefits reconciliations and resolve discrepancies between employee records, payroll deductions, and carrier statements.
• Manage WSIB reporting, statutory remittances, and other required payroll filings.
• Maintain accurate payroll and benefits records in accordance with applicable regulatory and recordkeeping requirements.

Reconciliations, Audits & Process Improvement

• Review and clean up historical payroll and benefits records, investigating discrepancies and resolving outstanding issues.
• Support audit requests by preparing payroll documentation, reconciliations, and supporting records.
• Identify opportunities to improve payroll workflows, strengthen internal controls, and reduce manual errors.
• Document payroll and benefits procedures to support consistency, accuracy, and knowledge sharing across the finance team.

Qualifications & Experience

• 5+ years of hands-on, full-cycle payroll experience in a high-volume environment with multiple employee groups or pay groups.
• Strong experience administering payroll for unionized employees, including interpreting and applying collective agreement provisions.
• Solid knowledge of Ontario employment standards, CRA payroll requirements, statutory remittances, and WSIB reporting.
• Experience with ADP is an asset; candidates with experience using other major payroll platforms will also be considered.
• Strong reconciliation, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to investigate discrepancies and work through historical backlogs.
• Exceptional attention to detail, sound judgment, and the ability to manage deadlines while maintaining payroll accuracy and confidentiality.
• Experience in healthcare or long-term care is a strong asset.
• Certified Payroll Manager (CPM) or Payroll Compliance Professional (PCP) designation is an asset.

Additional Information

• Successful candidates must complete a criminal record check and credit check. TB screening may also be required in accordance with the organization's requirements and applicable long-term care practices.
• The organization is Christian faith-based and begins each day with a brief Scripture reading broadcast over the public address system.

TMGCT